This invention relates to a tool for opening the carcasses of animals such as deer and elk and also has a purpose of providing a tool for splitting other objects such as wood. This tool is easy to use and is compact such that when not in use it can be carried in a pocket of the user. When the device is not being used, a portion of the tool is used to protect the cutting blade. The tool is intended to be used by hunters who require a portable device for splitting open carcasses which device is easy to use and can be used for cutting bone such as the pelvic bone and breastbone in the field after the animal has been shot.
Various carcass openers are known in the art such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,198,814 to Hart and U.S. Pat. No. 1,498,763 to Rendlich. The Hart patent describes a carcass opener which includes a blade for pulling through the carcass and a shield member to aid in the prevention of the rupturing of the entrails when the carcass is being opened. However, this device is not used for cutting the bone such as the breastbone or the pelvic bone of the animal being opened and is not easily dismantled to be carried in a dismantled condition by a hunter, for example.
The patent to Rendlich describes a tool having a cutting blade which is pushed through the carcass. If cartilage or bone is encountered, the cutting blade is struck with a mallet to drive the cutting blade through the bone or cartilage.